After returning from work in Antarctica, I immediately started the off-ice adventuring. Despite needing a bit of a break back in civilization, I decided to go with astrophysiscists Eric Leitch and Kyle Story on a quick 3 day backpacking trip up at Arthurs Pass, a short distance away from Christchurch.
Figuring out our driving route from in front of the United States Antarctic Program Clothing Distrubution Center up to Arthurs Pass
Getting outta town, on our way up to the mountains.
Strangely, we found a giant donut on the side of the road.
Driving up…
Photocopies of the tramping guide from lonely planet. We also has proper topo maps.
Day one
The late summer growth was amazing, lots of hues of green and brown set against the crumbling piles of rock.
Our first night, arriving at Hamilton Hut.
Dinner at Hamilton Hut – pasta, peperoni, veggies, cheese, “drinking chocolate”.
Dinner.. so good.
Making a double boiler for the drinking chocolate, and the chocolate covered cherries.
“drinking chocolate”, me,
Morning, tooth brushing and reading interesting magazines about the big bang.
Hamilton Hut, our home for one night.
Wire Brige
Descending back down to the valley.
Our final night’s hut, which we shared with two through-hikers and a biker.
Bouldering at Castle Hill
Kyle Story bouldering at Castle Hill.
Dinner at Burgers and Beers in Christchurch with friends
A few pics of our tramping…
Outside the United States Antarctic Program CDC building, Kyle and Erik figure out where we’re going..
Finally, in the mountains
Finding a giant Donut. Strangely, I know where another one of these is, on top of a donut shop right outside of the Burbank Airport.
Setting off
For our night out in the field, we slept at Hamilton Hut, which is very well maintained and comfy. Map Link.
The second day, we hiked back out of the park, and stayed at another hut just near the road.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8506556288/in/set-72157632847822861
This past September, my friend Chris Shybut and I spend 10 days trekking through Peru. During the trip, we explored all over, and had some great adventures. The trip also forced us to brush up on our Spanish – a much needed refresher.
During the urban parts of the trip, we explored the cities of Lima and Cusco, including grabbing food at street stands, listening to live music in trendy restaurants, hanging out in countless plazas, hanging out with the locals, witnessing a fight or two, and paragliding high above the Lima metropolis.
Heading into the mountains, we completed an extremely rugged four day trek on the Salkantay trail, averaging about 13 miles per day, and topping out the trek at 15,200 feet above sea level in a driving blizzard. We also set off on mountain bikes to explore the ancient Incan agricultural experiments of Moray, and marvel at the thousands of terraced salt mines of Maras.
To top it off, we had a great time fully exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu, including an extremely steep hike up to the top of Wayna Picchu.
During the trip, I traveled with two cameras – my Apple iPhone 4, and my Canon 5DmkII. Having both an ultra slim camera phone and a full size SLR at my disposal gave me the ability to shoot in most situations. I usually carried the iPhone in my pocket, and had a LowePro slimline case for my SLR. The case had an attachment loop on it which allowed me to attach it to the waistbelt of my backpack – this way, I had access to both cameras while we were hiking. I also brought along my carbon fiber travel tripod, and a bunch of other random accessories. I shot with one lens – the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L, which gives a great range of focal lengths, in a weatherproof, burly, high quality package. The lens is definitely on the big and heavy side, but it’s still a pleasure to shoot with. I shot in RAW on the SLR and full res JPG with the iPhone. Overall, there were about 2800 photos, which was edited down to a 104 photo consumable set.
Enjoy the photos, videos, and daily logs of our trip. The logs were written by both Chris and myself at the end of each day using Notepad and WordPress applications on my iPhone 4. We tried to put in as many details as possible into the daily logs, but if there’s anything else you’d like to know about the trip, just ask.
A. My favorite part of the trip was definitely interacting with the local Peruvians. It was a great opportunity to practice my spanish, and the Peruvian people as extremely friendly, outgoing and warm. I was surprised that everyone we passed said hi, and was always up to talk about whatever. Q. Did you guys stay in hostels or couching or where? A. A combination. The first two nights in Cusco we stayed at the Casa De Campo Guesthouse. Then, we spend three nights while hiking the Salcantay trail staying in our REI Half Dome 2 Tent. Then, we spend two nights staying in the Wiracocha Inn in Aguas Calientes, another night at the Loki Backpacker Hostel in Cusco, and the final night at our friend GP’s apartment in Lima.
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